


The Message

by MySweetPea



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Riverdale Fiction, Sweet Pea & Fangs Fogarty, Sweet Pea Imagine, Sweet Pea in a relationship, Sweet Pea x Reader - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-07
Updated: 2017-12-07
Packaged: 2019-02-11 21:40:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12944523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MySweetPea/pseuds/MySweetPea
Summary: Sweet Pea x Reader fictionReader gets hurt and her boyfriend Sweet Pea reacts strongly.





	The Message

**Author's Note:**

> There is talk of gun violence, gangs, and hospitals in this.

I took a swig of my beer as I leaned against the wall. My boyfriend Sweet Pea was engaged in a very competitive game of pool with his best friend, Fangs. I loved watching the two of them interact when they were both trying their hardest to win.

[Originally posted by howtoamuseacoolperson](https://tmblr.co/ZSZ0Rs2S2OVSd)

Sweet Pea was holding onto a narrow lead, but Fangs was pushing right back. Their particular style of trash talk was incredibly sharp and funny. Other patrons of the Whyte Wyrm had been watching the game since it began as well.

Sweet Pea missed a shot and the small crowd let out a loud ooooooo. Fangs smirked and proceeded to clean up the table. Just before his final shot, he blew a kiss to Sweet Pea mockingly. Fangs officially won, and the bar erupted. Bets were settled amid groans and whoops.

Sweet Pea punched Fangs in the arm while he was performing some elaborate victory bow. I could see the amusement in his eyes as he turned and instantly found me in the crowd. I raised my eyebrows at him and stuck out my tongue. Sweet Pea glared and bounded across the bar, dodging the good-natured ribbing from his friends.

“Well, hello there,” I said with a smile. “I usually only talk to pool champions but I guess you seem cool enough.”

Sweet Pea growled at me and grabbed my hips with his huge hands. There was a glimmer of amusement in his dark brown eyes. The deep chocolate color wrapped me in warmth and I could feel the familiar sensation of falling into their depths. His gorgeous shiny black tresses were tumbling across his forehead. I reached out and ran my fingers through the hair falling into his face.

“Do you want to know why I lost?”

I pretended to think about it. “Was it because Fangs was better than you?”

Sweet Pea leaned down to me and shook his head. He whispered into my ear, his warm breath whispering across my cheek, “I saw how hot you looked over here, leaning against the wall like some kind of model, and I missed my last shot thinking about what I’d like to do to your body.”

I gasped, pushing against his chest in pretend outrage. “Why, I never! You scoundrel!”

I dissolved into a fit of giggles. Sweet Pea leaned down and captured my lips with his. When he pulled back after a glorious moment, I wrapped my hands around the back of his neck.

“You looked pretty hot yourself. I love seeing you bent over the pool table.” I wiggled my eyebrows at him outrageously.

He laughed, showering my face with little kisses. Based on his reputation, many people were surprised to see how ready Sweet Pea was to publically display his affection. I personally felt like he just couldn’t control himself sometimes. I know that I definitely couldn’t when I was around him. Of course, there was also the occasional time that he would feel the need to show everyone that I was all his.

I heard a snicker from behind us. We turned to see Fangs smirking at us.

“Looks like poor little Sweet Pea needs to be comforted ‘cause he lost so bad.” Fangs took a long drag from his drink.

“Shove it, Fangs,” I said with loving smile, gently punching Fangs in the shoulder.

Sweet Pea leaned his elbow on Fangs’ shoulder, pressing down on the shorter boy with most of his weight. “Sure, bud, just tell yourself that I lost ‘so bad’. I don’t think that you can count a single crappy shot towards the end of the game as a crushing defeat.”

Fangs laughed, trying to fight his way out from under Sweet Pea’s arm. While they bickered and pushed each other, I watched them with a smile. I loved these two boys, each in different ways, but I had grown up with them and I couldn’t imagine a world in which they weren’t best friends.

Suddenly I felt my phone buzzing in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw that Betty Cooper was calling. We had met through our boyfriends; she was dating Jughead Jones, and when he finally joined the Serpents, she started to get to know some of us despite Jughead’s rather insulting doubts.

“Hey Betty! What’s up?”

“Hey, sorry for calling so late, but I was wondering if you could come help me? I’m at my house and I’m trying to decode a message that someone left at Jughead’s trailer. Neither Jughead nor I can make any sense of it, and Juggie mentioned that you were pretty good at things like this?”

I was surprised. Jughead didn’t really want Betty getting to know his world, and he had been very reluctant to introduce us to her when she was around. Now he was mentioning me and getting Betty to invite me over to her house? On the Northside?

“Um well yeah, I can definitely take a shot. Want me to head over right now?” I finally responded.

Betty let out a heavy breath in relief. “Yes please, it is rather….time sensitive, from what I can tell.”

I squinted in confusion. If they couldn’t decode it, how did they know it was time sensitive?

“Okaaay yeah I’m just at the Wyrm, so let me see if someone can give me a ride.”

“Oh, Jughead will come get you!” I could hear Jughead saying something in the background. Betty quietly responded to him before returning to our conversation. “Yeah, he’ll be there in about 10 minutes. Thank you soooo much for your help.”

We said our goodbyes and hung up. I was frowning as I tried to figure out what exactly was going on. Sweet Pea turned to me and saw my concerned expression.

“What’s going on, babe?” Sweet Pea asked as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me in tight to his chest.

“Jughead’s Betty just called me? She said she needs my help with some kind of….coded message? And the weirdest part is that Jughead was the one who suggested that I take a crack at it.”

Sweet Pea frowned as he played with my hair. “That’s super weird. He’s always freaking out if we talk to her about even the most basic things.”

Fangs crossed his arms over his chest, cocking his head to the side while he considered it. “I mean, I think out of the Serpents, he might be most okay if you’re the one who gets to know Betty. You always talk about what is and is not safe or morally justifiable, and he obviously cares a lot about that kind of shit. Plus you are good at codes and puzzles and stuff.”

“Yeah, I guess. I dunno. They just seem to be kinda freaked about this weird message Jughead received,” I said with a sigh and a shrug.

I turned to Sweet Pea and snuggled into his broad chest. The soft flannel he wore was warm against my cheek.

“Jughead is gonna come pick me up in a couple minutes because they want it solved, like, now.”

Sweet Pea looked surprised. I don’t think I had ever been really alone with Jughead before. Despite the fact that we got along and we had even had some good conversations in the past, Jughead and Sweet Pea had a weird relationship. They respected each other now, and they would die for each other, but there was still a shadow between them that had yet to dissipate. I know that Sweet Pea didn’t care if I was alone with Jughead or even if we became good friends, but Jughead seemed to try to make sure that we were always in a public place whenever we talked. I sometimes wondered if Jughead was just a little bit scared of what Sweet Pea would do if he suspected Jughead was up to something untoward. I found it rather ridiculous considering the trust that Sweet Pea and I had for each other and the fact that anyone with a brain could see how much Jughead loved Betty. I had originally thought he was just uncomfortable around me as a person, but we always had good conversations and talked about a lot of different subjects, so I felt like that wouldn’t be the case anymore. I was starting to consider us friends.

Sweet Pea nodded. “Okay, but just make sure you wear a helmet on his bike. I don’t know if I fully trust his driving abilities yet.”

I giggled and reached up for a kiss. “Just for you, Sweets.”

We kissed slowly, languidly, while Fangs rolled his eyes.

“I swear, you two lovebirds walk a fine line between being adorable or disgusting.”

Sweets pulled back and glared at Fangs. “You know we’re adorable. Don’t even try to deny it.”

I laughed, loving how silly Sweet Pea acted when it came to me. He would rather die than be called adorable by anyone, and it was still amazing to me that he didn’t mind when it came to our relationship.

I checked the time, realizing I needed to head outside if I wanted to meet Jughead.

“I gotta go, Sweets. I’ll see you tonight.” I gave him one more kiss before disengaging from his strong arms. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he said with a soft smile reserved for me.

“Bye, Fangs. Love you too.” I gave him a kiss on the cheek, leaving him to grumble about how I made him look soft in front of all his friends.

I headed for the door of the Wyrm, saying bye and goodnight to my friends as I walked past them. When I reached the outdoors, the chilly fall air seeped into my bones. I pulled my leather Serpents jacket tighter around my chest and tucked my hands into my pockets. I leaned against the light pole in the parking area, waiting for Jughead to arrive.

After about a minute in the cold, I was considering waiting inside. Maybe Jughead got distracted before he left Betty’s. Or maybe Betty lived a lot further than I realized. All I knew is that she lived on the Northside.

I was checking the time again when I realized I wasn’t alone. I raised my eyes, sliding into a defensive stance automatically. I was astonished to see a boy I knew from school walking towards me. As far as I knew, he had just recently joined the Ghoulies. I felt my lip curl with scorn.

“What do you want, Ghoulie? Don’t you know this is Serpent territory?” I sneered at him.

The boy raised a hand. I noticed that his arm was shaking in the split second before I realized he was holding a gun. Time seemed to move in slow motion as I raised my eyes to face.

He was staring at me with a blank expression on his face. “He didn’t solve it.”

“Who didn’t solve what?” I asked in a croaking voice. My throat felt like it was full of sand.

Could I disarm him? Could I get away? Could I scream for help?

“They said that this was just a test to see whether the Serpent Prince was truly worthy of the Southside. But he failed. So now we need to show the Serpents that failure has consequences.”

I noticed that his arm was no longer shaking.

I knew that he was going to shoot me; it wasn’t a question of if anymore, but a question of how soon.

“Do you mean Jughead? What do the Ghoulies want with Jughead?” I said cautiously, eyeing his face.

“That isn’t for you to know.”

And then it happened.

I saw his finger tighten around the gun and I tried to drop to the side. The explosion of the gun rang through my head, drowning out every noise and every thought. I felt the pain rip through my right shoulder. The heat and the agony shredded outward from my arm, radiating through my body. I hit the ground and froze, assessing the situation.

The Ghoulie took off as soon as he pulled the trigger. I saw him pounding down the pavement until a person in a bright red car pulled out of a nearby alley and popped the passenger door for him. They peeled off down the street.

I took a deep breath and tried to stand up. The sound of the gunshot was still ringing through my brain.

I saw light spill onto the pavement in front of me. Someone had opened the door of the Wyrm. I heard pounding footsteps and yelling over the roar in my head. I couldn’t stand up. I was feeling light-headed, and I was starting to feel scared. I grabbed my shoulder, trying to stop the bleeding.

I rolled over, clutching my arm and breathing heavily. Suddenly, I saw Sweet Pea’s face flash before my eyes.

“Sweets,” I tried to say. I don’t know if I was successful.

I saw his mouth moving. He was trying to say something but I couldn’t understand over the roaring in my ears. His terrified face was the last thing I saw before I passed out.

* * *

The first thing I noticed when I came to was a steady beeping. I opened my eyes slowly, blinking into the light. My head felt somehow heavy and also full of cotton balls at the same time. I tried to focus.

I was in a hospital room. The steady beep of my heart rate monitor increased slightly as I looked around in concern.

I saw Sweets sitting on a chair beside my bed, slumped with his chin against his chest. He must be sleeping. I tried to reach for him, stopping as a searing pain shot through my right side. I groaned, remembering the events of the shooting. I tried to look at my shoulder but it was covered in a million bandages.

“Princess!” Sweet Pea cried, standing up quickly. He rushed to me and held my face. “How are you feeling? Do you need anything? Should I get the doctor?” he demanded in a rush.

“My shoulder and my head hurt but that’s about it. I don’t think you need to get the doctor.”

I felt tears threatening to spill as I stared into his eyes. Sweet Pea looked terrible. There were heavy bags under his eyes and his hair was in a complete disarray. His eyes held a look of near panic as he studied my face.

“Okay. Okay, yeah,” he said in a voice I had never heard from him before.

He sat down again, running his fingers through my hair over and over. He stared at me as if he couldn’t believe I was right there in front of him.

“Sweets, I’m okay. It was just my shoulder. It’s embarrassing that I even passed out at all.”

I reached out and stilled his hands, smiling up at him gently.

“Yeah, you’re okay, but what if they hadn’t shot your shoulder? What if you weren’t okay?” He looked at me with pain in his eyes. “I can’t lose you.”

I squeezed his fingers and nodded. “I know. I get terrified every time you’re in a fight. I get it. I couldn’t handle losing you either.”

Sweet Pea seemed to be calming down slightly. He ran his hands over my hair, my face, my hands just trying to reassure himself that I was there and I was safe.

After a couple of minutes, I felt like I could ask the question that had been burning in my mind since I opened my eyes.

“Did you catch the Ghoulie?”

Sweets’ eyes slide downward. “Yeah, we got ‘em. Fangs and Tall Boy handled things.” His eyes widened and he looked up, slightly guilty. “Actually, I was supposed to go get everyone from the waiting room the second you woke up. I’ll be right back.”

He stood and stared at me for a couple of seconds before turning and rushing towards the waiting room.

I understood Sweet Pea’s terror. Every time I cleaned him up after a fight, I felt that rush of relief when I realized his injuries were minor. If any injury looked slightly bad, I had to stop jumping to worst case scenarios in my head. I loved him so much and I couldn’t stand to see him hurt, but I also couldn’t handle the idea of being without him.

The door to my room opened and a couple nurses walked in with a doctor. They checked me out and declared that I was doing well. I had lost a lot of blood on the scene due to the location of the bullet, but there didn’t seem to be permanent nerve damage, and they had been able to extract the bullet.

As they were leaving, I saw my friends push through the door. I smiled, relieved to see all of them there.

“There’s my girl! Look at you sitting there like a badass,” Toni Topaz, my closest girl friend, said with a grin. She rushed over and gave me a half hug. “What, you missed me so much last night that you went and got shot so you could see me?”

I laughed lightly, trying not to disturb my shoulder. “Yes, that was exactly what happened.”

Fangs moved towards me and fist bumped my good hand.

“You scared the shit outta me, girlie. I aged 25 years tonight.”

I made a twisted face and stuck out my tongue. “Well, I’m sorry I inconvenienced you so much. Maybe you’ll have better luck with the ladies with your newfound grey hair.”

“His luck couldn’t possibly get worse,” chimed in Toni.

I saw Betty Cooper standing beside Jughead, gripping his hand tightly. She had tear stains down her cheeks and her eyes were red. When she felt my gaze, she pulled Jughead closer to my bed.

“I am so sorry. I feel responsible for this,” she said in a rush, looking guilty.

Jughead shook her hand. “It’s not your fault, Betts. I’m the one who wanted to call her. And the Ghoulies are the ones who shot her.”

He turned to me and grabbed my good hand with his free one. “I am so sorry I got you involved in this. I didn’t know who had sent the message or what it said, so I had no idea that they were going to hurt anyone if I asked for help.”

“Hey, relax,” I said, shaking my head. “The kid who shot me was probably doing it as some initiation thing anyway. The contents of the message might not have even mattered.”

Jughead frowned, looking unconvinced.

Sweet Pea spoke up from behind them. “I think the assholes that Tall Boy caught were more worried about sticking it to the Serpents than whether you actually decoding their little puzzle. They were high and barely even knew what was going on.”

I turned to Sweet Pea now. It sounded like he had more knowledge about the shooter than he had let on.

“What happened to them?” I asked sternly. I knew the Serpents and their specific brand of justice, but I hoped that they hadn’t let Sweet Pea dish out any of that justice so quickly after I’d been shot.

Sweet Pea shuffled his feet and Fangs coughed. No one was ready to give me an answer, it seemed.

“Fangs. What happened,” I demanded, no longer asking.

He looked just over my shoulder instead of making eye contact.

“Well, I mean, the boys all took off in every direction to try to chase down the shooter, and we found those Ghoulies in their souped-up car. Tall Boy brought ‘em back and we….questioned them. About why they shot you.” He rubbed the back of his neck, everyone watching him with a sullen expression. “They said that they were testing Jughead and his ability to lead the Serpents. And if he couldn’t even solve a riddle, he didn’t deserve to lead, so they were letting him know that this was…a consequence of his poor leadership abilities.”

Everyone was silent for a moment. I could feel Jughead’s eyes on me.

“Well, that’s just bullshit. Send a riddle to someone and expect them to solve it without any help? A good leader asks for help when necessary.” I turned to Jughead and smiled softly at him. “Those idiots were just drugged up macho boys who wanted to shoot someone.”

Sweet Pea stepped forward and kisses my cheek. “We know, babe. Don’t stress about it. We took real good care of them.”

My eyes widened. “Sweets, you didn’t-“

“No, no, I just got in a good punch or two after you got out of surgery. Tall Boy wouldn’t let me do more than that.”

Fangs snorted in response to that. “More like he showed up at the Wyrm and it took 4 of us to hold Pea back so that Tall Boy could get those lowlifes out of there.” Fangs saw my expression and quickly continued, “But yeah, he did technically only punch each of them a couple of times.”

I shuddered in relief, reaching quickly for his hand. I knew what Sweet Pea was capable of if he fell into a blind rage, and I didn’t want Sweet Pea to be haunted by the consequences if he had killed the Ghoulies.

Jughead and Toni started talking about something, but I wasn’t able to pay attention. I could feel myself fading. My head was pounding and I felt exhausted. Everyone seemed to notice and quickly said their goodbyes and get-wells. Soon it was just me and Sweet Pea again.

He leaned onto the bed as much as he could considering his size. He wrapped his arms around me, careful not to shake my shoulder. He kept staring at me like he thought I might disappear.

“I’m okay. I’m not going anywhere,” I reassured him over and over again.

Sweet Pea dropped a heavy kiss on my forehead. “I’m not leaving your side for at least a week,” he declared.

I smiled and curled into him. I didn’t doubt it one bit.


End file.
